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                                                                                         WORLD NEWS Thursday 31 March 2022
            El Salvador forces encircle neighborhoods in gang crackdown



            MARCOS ALEMÁN                                                                                                       vadorans,  this  broad  state
            SAN  SALVADOR,  El  Salva-                                                                                          of  emergency  is  a  recipe
            dor  (AP)  —  Security  forc-                                                                                       for  disaster  that  puts  their
            es  intensified  operations                                                                                         rights at risk,” the organiza-
            against El Salvador’s street                                                                                        tion said.
            gangs  Tuesday  with  mass                                                                                          The  Inter-American  Com-
            arrests,  the  cordoning  off                                                                                       mission  on  Human  Rights
            of   neighborhoods     and                                                                                          condemned measures that
            house-by-house  searches                                                                                            keep  incarcerated  gang
            under a state of emergen-                                                                                           members  inside  their  cells
            cy that has raised concerns                                                                                         24 hours a day and reduce
            among some organizations                                                                                            their  food  to  two  meals  a
            it  could  open  the  door  to                                                                                      day.
            human rights abuses.                                                                                                “The  measures  implement-
            Rather  than  back  down                                                                                            ed  in  the  prisons  consti-
            under  growing  criticism,                                                                                          tute  policies  of  a  repres-
            President Nayib Bukele ap-                                                                                          sive  nature  that  can  result
            peared  ready  to  double                                                                                           in  serious  violations  of  the
            down,  announcing  late                                                                                             humans  rights  of  persons
            Tuesday that he had asked                                                                                           deprived  of  liberty,”  the
            the  president  of  the  Con-                                                                                       commission said.
            gress to convene lawmak-                                                                                            Stéphane  Dujarric,  spokes-
            ers to give him more legal   Soldiers man a checkpoint at the entrance to the Las Palmas Community, a neighborhood that   man  for  United  Nations
            tools to take on gangs.      is supposed to be under the control of Barrio 18 Gang in San Salvador, El Salvador, Sunday,   Secretary-General   Anto-
            The   country’s   relatively   March 27, 2022.                                                                      nio  Guterres,  said  Tuesday
            low  homicide  rate  during                                                                        Associated Press  the Secretary General was
            Bukele’s administration had  passed  Bukele’s  state  of  Only  two  murders  were  cism.                           concerned  with  the  sharp
            been one of his most tout-   emergency  early  Sunday  confirmed  Monday  com-         Opposition  politicians  and  increase  in  gang  killings
            ed accomplishments. Even  giving authorities broad lat-   pared to 62 on Saturday.     nongovernmental  organi-     and  trusted  that  measures
            while  some  raised  doubts  itude in making arrests and  “I’ve  been  a  victim  of  the  zations  say  security  forces  taken  by  the  government
            about how it was obtained,  extending  jail  time  while  gangs,  I’ve  paid  them  are  going  beyond  even  would be in line with inter-
            the country had been living  investigations  are  carried  (extortion),”   said   Este-  their   newly   enhanced  national  human  rights  law
            in peace compared to ear-    out.  Attorney  General  Ro-  ban  Maravilla,  who  works  powers.                     and standards.
            lier periods of bloodshed.   dolfo  Delgado  told  state  in   transportation.   “They  Human Rights Watch said in  Bukele   responded     via
            That  changed  last  week-   television  that  in  the  past  should lock them all up.”  a  statement  Tuesday  that  Twitter  that  the  organiza-
            end when 89 people were  two  days  nearly  1,500  al-    Bukele  enjoys  extremely  the  government  should  tions  criticizing  his  actions
            killed  in  a  four-day  span,  leged gang members were  high  popularity  in  El  Salva-  confront  gang  violence,  now  had  done  nothing  to
            compared  to  79  in  all  of  captured  “without  firing  a  dor, but some heavy hand-  but while respecting rights.  help El Salvador battle the
            February.  The  Congress  single shot.”                   ed tactics have faced criti-  “Instead  of  protecting  Sal-  gangs.q


            Bay of Bengal nations resolve to face calamities together



            By KRISHAN FRANCIS           investment,  tourism  and  paksa,  said  “will  no  doubt
            Associated Press             technology,    and   offset  be  a  significant  step  to-
            COLOMBO,  Sri  Lanka  (AP)  economic losses caused by  ward increasing this organi-
            —  An  organization  of  sev-  the COVID-19 pandemic.     zation’s role, not just within
            en  Bay  of  Bengal  nations  “The  developments  in  Eu-  the  region,  but  also  as  a
            said  its  members  must  ur-  rope in the last few weeks  driving  force  from  Asia  in
            gently use their geographi-  have  raised  a  question  global affairs.”
            cal  advantage  and  other  mark on the stability of the  Leaders  from  Bangladesh,
            resources  to  address  their  international order.       Bhutan,  India,  Nepal,  Sri
            post-pandemic       vulner-  In  this  context,  it  has  be-  Lanka and Thailand all ad-
            abilities  and  collectively  come  important  to  make  dressed the summit virtual-
            strengthen  their  ability  to  BIMSTEC  regional  coop-  ly.  Myanmar’s  foreign  min-
            face future calamities.      eration  more  active,”  In-  ister,  Wunna  Maung  Lwin,
            In a declaration on the final  dian  Prime  Minister  Naren-  represented his country re-
            day of a three-day summit  dra  Modi  said  in  a  virtual  motely.                    Foreign Ministers of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral
            Wednesday,  the  group,  speech.                          He  also  participated  re-  Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries, from
            the Bay of Bengal Initiative  “It has also become imper-  motely in a meeting of for-  left to right, Nepal’s Narayan Khadka, India’s Subrahmanyam
            for Multi Sectoral Technical  ative  to  give  more  priority  eign  ministers  on  Tuesday   Jaishankar,  Don  Pramudwinai  of  Thailand,  Gamini  Lakshman
            and  Economic  Corpora-      to our regional security.”   that  was  attended  in  per-  Peiris  of  Sri  Lanka,  A.K.  Abdul  Momen  of  Bangladesh,  Tandi
            tion,  said  its  members  re-  He said India will contribute  son by the other ministers.  Dorji  of  Bhutan  and  Myanmar’s  Wunna  Maung  Lwin  pose  for
                                                                                                   a  photograph  during  their  meeting  in  Colombo,  Sri  Lanka,
            solved to work together to  $3 million to revive the BIM-  Myanmar’s  military  leader   Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
            combat  poverty,  natural  STEC  Center  for  Weather  has  not  been  allowed  to                                             Associated Press
            disasters,  climate  change,  and Climate to enable co-   participate  in  meetings  of
            pandemics  and  transna-     operation  in  disaster  man-  another  regional  organi-  opposition to its rule.     technology  transfer  facility
            tional crime.                agement.                     zation,  the  Association  of  Officials and ministers of the  and cooperation between
            They  also  agreed  to  work  The  leaders  also  signed  a  Southeast  Asian  Nations,  BIMSTEC member countries  diplomatic academies.
            toward  food  and  energy  BIMSTEC charter, which the  following the army’s seizure  also  signed  three  agree-    Thailand took over as BIM-
            security  and  strengthen  summit’s  host,  Sri  Lankan  of  power  in  February  2021  ments on mutual legal assis-  STEC’s  chair  nation  for  the
            their links to increase trade,  President  Gotabaya  Raja-  and  violent  suppression  of  tance in criminal matters, a  next two years.q
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